Chapter 466: Three Division Leaders in a Meeting
Translator: Irene Editor: X, TYZ
Chapter 466 - Three Division Leaders in a Meeting
The snow gale dispersed and sunlight returned to the earth. Nevertheless, within a night, Skyheart City became even more solemn. The nights once filled with music and songs were gone. Aristocratic families had their tails tucked between their legs. No one wanted to offend Madam Ye at this time.
Bloodstains left by the Guillotines on a Snowy Night event had yet to fade.
No one knew what Madam Ye’s next move was going to be, but discerning people knew not to provoke her.
The three central divisions had strict military discipline.
After Guillotines on a Snowy Night, not even one elementalist from the central divisions could be seen on the streets.
Brilliant military glory, unfathomable, valiant with unsurpassable abilities, cold-blooded and cruel, killing without blinking, strict military conduct… These were the impressions and memories that the city had of the three central divisions.
The three divisions were stationed in different places.
The Surveillance Division was stationed in a military camp located within Skyheart City. They were supposed to be stationed in a practice ground of the Sky Edge Division but the Judgement Division was stationed there temporarily. It wasn’t a big area and its facilities were very simple and basic, but the Judgement Division did not mind at all.
In fact, the military camp had more than enough space for the Judgement Division.
Aside from the three central divisions’ glory, their strength exceeded the other 10 divisions even though they had the three smallest battle teams among all Thirteen Divisions of the Avalon of Five Elements. The Surveillance Division had the biggest team, and even then, it was made up of under 1,000 members. The Judgement Division had only 800 people, whereas the smallest division, Dread, had 500.
In actuality, the three central divisions had never ever been fully filled.
The member selection process of the three divisions was extremely strict. They would rather be shorthanded than recruit unsuitable elementalists. They had exceedingly high psychological demands from their elementalists and would abandon those with slightly weaker willpower.
An unremarkable looking Three Leaves Bamboo Cart appeared at the military camp entrance.
There was no marking and nothing conspicuous. It was just a commonly seen cargo transport cart except that its body was covered in a thick black cloth so its interior couldn’t be seen.
By now, few people used Three Leaves Bamboo Carts to ferry goods since they were more difficult to use and elemental energy cost more. The cart required a huge volume of elemental energy and was simply not cost effective for transporting goods. The trend now was to make use of load basin beasts, which consumed less elemental energy. They had the heaviest cargo capacity, were easy to raise, and had a high survival rate outside the city.
This was Skyheart City, the biggest city in Beyond Avalon after all. It housed the most aristocratic families and was one of the most prosperous lands, but the number of Three Leaves Bamboo Carts was still lower.
Nearing the camp entrance, the cart instantly slowed down. An elementalist stood guard at the gate with a fixed expression on his faces. He would detect over 10 wisps of energy locking down on him from within the shadows if he had keen senses.
The cart door opened and a seven or eight year old girl alighted. Her hair reached her ears and was glossy and smooth. Her hairstyle resembled a round apple with a neat fringe covering her forehead. She had chubby cheeks, jade-like skin, and long eyelashes like brushes. She was like a cute little doll.
A few expressionless guards followed behind.
The elementalist, who stood guard with a stern expression, saluted. "Madam Caijue !"
The girl nodded calmly before walking over from the door.
This scene was rather comical. An adorable little girl behaving like an adult made her even more adorable. Her steps were very small and her walking speed was slow because of her size and short legs. Those immeasurably strong people behind her followed her pace, so they were practically inching forward with small, quick steps.
A fierce and tough looking elementalist, who stood rigidly, bowed respectfully with a stern expression and a fixed gaze.
No one would’ve thought that this young little girl, Ximen Caijue, was actually the division leader of the mysterious Judgement Division.
Upon entering the military camp, elementalists could be seen practicing with all their might. Some practiced alone while others were sparring. There was almost no difference when compared to the other battle divisions, but if the other 10 divisions were to witness this scene, they would notice something strange.
Silence. Unusual silence.
Lone trainers analyzed, pondered, and gestured quietly. Training with a partner was much more intense. Blood splattered from time to time, and some elementalists already had many injuries. No one complained, however, as if they had no concept of pain.
It was a strange scene.
Ximen Caijue and her guards looked on indifferently as it wasn’t their first time witnessing something like this.
Nian Tingfeng saw Ximen Caijue and her group approaching and greeted, "What occasion is it today that Madam Ximen Caijue is visiting personally?"
The girl answered coldly, "Wan Shenwei is here too!"
The smile on Nian Tingfeng’s face remained, but the cheery expression in his eyes was gone. "Why such a big fuss? Then let’s talk in the meeting hall."
With that, he turned around and led the way.
Ximen Caijue’s guards and Nian Tingfeng’s subordinates stopped outside the meeting hall.
In the spacious meeting hall, Nian Tingfeng brewed his own tea. While boiling the water, he said, "Skyheart City’s tea leaves are much better than the Old Territory’s. I got this from confiscating possessions ,so I forgot which family it belonged to. Asking these fellows to battle and kill enemies is bothering them, but they are all experts in enjoying life. I’ve not tried more than half of the tea leaves that I seized. I’ll go get more from different families once this batch finishes."
Ximen Caijue kept quiet, her apple face remaining stern and cold.
Not long after, a lushly bearded man pushed open the door and entered the hall. This big man was exceptionally tall and sturdy, like a man from the mountains. His hands were much longer than an ordinary person’s. He looked a little like an ape. It could be seen from his face that he’d face many hardships. There were many fine crisscrossing scars and his arms and legs were also covered in scars.
His eyes were very unique looking. He had light colored pupils, which made his eyes seem pale.
The Dread Division’s division leader, Wan Shenwei.
Wan Shenwei strode into the hall and took a seat, commenting, "I smell a fragrance."
"New tea. Guarantee you have not tried it before."
Nian Tingfeng picked up the steaming teapot and poured a cup each for Wan Shenwei and Ximen Caijue before serving himself one as well. He took a sip and relished in its taste, his face appearing drunk.
Silence momentarily filled the hall as only the sound of the steaming teapot, which sat on the stove, could be heard.
Without even looking at the tea in front of her, Ximen Caijue coldly asked, "What exactly are you doing, Nian Tingfeng?"
As if he’d not heard her, Nian Tingfeng slowly replied only after a short while, "What do you mean?"
Ximen Caijue gave him a cold look. "Putting down the revolt was our job. It’s okay to kill all the bandits and the Masters among them, but why kill the Masters in Skyheart City?"
Nian Tingfeng asked her calmly, "Why not?"
Ximen Caijue answered indifferently, "You know they’re innocent."
"So?" Nian Tingfeng laughed. "There are many innocent people, Madam Caijue, so who should die? Only a few have died and you’re feeling the heartache already?
Wan Shenwei put his teacup down. "Talk things over nicely."
Nian Tianfeng leisurely took another sip of his tea before saying, "I understand what you’re thinking. They are Masters and are on the aristocratic families’ sides, so by right they are our people, and it would be a pity to destroy our own military strength, but this is not what I think."
They other two remained silent and only Nian Tingfeng’s voice echoed.
"They were Masters and our people no doubt, but they were already rotten. Look, we’ve been forced out of the Avalon of Five Elements and into the Wilderness and Skyheart City’s still new. What are these fellows doing? Only thinking about enjoying life. These Masters are amazing at creating new teas, I’ll give them that."
Sarcasm was evident in his words.
Ximen Caijue and Wan Shenwei kept quiet as they knew that Nian Tingfeng wasn’t exaggerating.
"Are we so pathetic? Are we lacking in abilities? We are indeed, but what’s worse is that we are lacking in courage and fight. Look, these aristocratic families are our pillars of support, but they’re all absorbed in self-indulgence. They withdraw when there’s danger. What purpose do they serve even if they’re our people?"
Nian Tingfeng became increasingly worked up.
"They are all pieces of rotten meat, so don’t hope for them to turn into good meat. There’s only one choice if you want to live on and that is to get rid of all this rotten meat! Yes, the damage is significant and painful, and it’s difficult to make a move, but we are driving ourselves to a dead end if this drags on."
His tone became calm suddenly, but carried a tinge of zeal.
"So our decision is simple. Madam Ye is our only way out. Can you give me another option? Who can? I don’t know if she can succeed, but I do know that she’s our only hope. The Avalon of Five Elements loses if she loses."
He glanced over at the both of them and said meaningfully, "It’s fine as long as we win. A knife is still a knife, so does it matter who it belongs to?"
Ximen Caijue asked dully, "What else do you know?"
Wan Shenwei looked at Nian Tingfeng as well.
Nian Tingfeng was the division leader of Surveillance Division, which specialized in obtaining information, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he had special insider news.
They knew Nian Tingfeng’s personality well. He was cautious and only did things he had confidence in. If he acted, there must be a reason behind it.
Nian Tingfeng smiled and picked the teacup up again. "I’m optimistic about Madam Ye’s Master’s Glory."
Ximen Caijue and Wan Shenwei made eye contact.
Master’s Glory wasn’t any secret since the all of Beyond Avalon knew about it. Madam Ye had even held a series of selection processes. No one knew what happened behind the scenes of the program, however.. No one knew where these people actually came from.
Both division leaders were confident that Nian Tingfeng must have heard something, but Nian Tingfeng’s mouth was sealed, so it was impossible for them to probe.
Ximen Caijue responded coldly, "We can’t win without a Grandmaster."
Nian Tingfeng spread his hands. "Everyone wants to become a Grandmaster, but it’s more practical to rely on Masters. They would at least prevent our side from looking too unsightly."
Ximen Caijue snorted before standing up and walking toward the door.
Nian Tingfeng stayed in his spot, drinking his tea.
Wan Shenwei got up and strode to the door before stopping.
"Tingfeng, you’re not being honest."
With that, he pushed the door open.
From start to finish, Nian Tingfeng sipped on his tea with a smile on his face. His expression never changed.